new hampshire decriminalization

A New Hampshire bill decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana officially takes effect tomorrow.

The bill makes New Hampshire the 22nd state in the nation to eliminate the possibility of jail time for simple marijuana possession.

“The governor and Legislature both deserve a lot of credit for moving the state forward with this commonsense reform,” said Matt Simon, the Manchester-based New England political director for the Marijuana Policy Project. “Unlike his predecessors, who opposed similar proposals, Gov. Sununu appears to understand that ‘Live Free or Die’ is more than just a motto on a license plate.”

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu says he will sign into law a bill that decriminalizes cannabis.

Once signed into law, House Bill 640 will decriminalize the possession of up to three-quarters of an ounce of marijuana, reducing the charge from an arrestable misdemeanor as it is today, to a simple civil infraction punishable by a fine of $100 for a first or second offense. A third offense within three years of the initial offense will result in a fine of $300, and a fourth offense within three years of the original offense can result in a misdemeanor charge, but no arrest or jail time.

“I want to thank the Legislature for passing common sense marijuana reform,” Governor Chris Sununu (R) said in a statement. “I look forward to signing House Bill 640 into law.”

New Hampshire’s House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee has passed a bill to decriminalize cannabis and hash possession.

House Bill 640 was approved with an overwhelming 14 to 2 vote. The measure would decriminalize the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis, and up to five grams of hash, for those 21 and older.

If police do catch someone possessing cannabis or hash within those limits, it would be “a fine of $100 for a first offense under this paragraph, a fine of $200 for a second offense within three years of the first offense, or a fine of $350 for a third or subsequent offense within 3 years of 2 other offenses.” Under current law the possession of even a minuscule amount of cannabis is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

New Hampshire’sHouse Committee on Criminal Justice voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve House Bill 618, a measure that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis.

If approved into law, the proposal would make the possession of up to half an ounce of cannabis a simple ticket rather than an arrestable misdemeanor. Under current law, the possession of any amount of cannabis can result in a year-long jail sentence.

A proposal to decriminalize the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis, and to defelonize the private cultivation of up to six cannabis plants, has been filed in New Hampshire and has been assigned to the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

If approved into law, House Bill 618 would make the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis a simple $100 ticket rather than a misdemeanor, and would reduce the penalty for cultivating up to six cannabis plants from a felony, to a misdemeanor.